In March, MPs voted in favour of introducing a fee for foreign drivers who merely transit through Switzerland without spending any time here. Many questions about the logistics of the new measure still remain unanswered, not least the fee itself.
The aim of this measure is to reduce peak traffic on the national road network with a traffic-dependent transit fee.
According to MP Marco Chiesa from the Swiss People’s Party, (SVP) who instigated this move in the Parliament, “our national roads, especially the major Alpine routes, are congested with transit traffic that brings no benefit to our country. It is unacceptable that Switzerland continues to suffer the consequences of this parasitic traffic.”
Government figures confirm that in 2024 – the last year for which these statistics exist – over 55,000 hours of traffic jams were recorded on national motorways.
The situation has not improved for years, especially the bottlenecks at the Gotthard Tunnel, which connects Switzerland with Italy and is therefore frequently used by south-bound tourists.
READ MORE: What we know about Switzerland’s new transit tax for foreign drivers
What, how, and how much?
Among the questions raised about the new measure is what constitutes ‘transit’ traffic, how will comings and goings at border crossings be monitored, and also the amount of the tax.
There is, to date, no official answer to any of these queries.
On March 31st, Blick newspaper published an article claiming that “the proposed transit tax will be based on the registration of each vehicle at the border. If a vehicle leaves Switzerland within a certain timeframe – approximately 12 hours – a tax will automatically be due.”
As for the amount of the tax, the newspaper mentioned a 21-franc fee. But neither the border monitoring system nor the actual tax amount has been officially confirmed.
Advertisement
Another Blick report, however, quoted a calculation made by MP Simon Stadler, who noted that “if, for instance, 21 francs is charged per transit, it would generate over 110 million francs” – the money that, he said, would be paid into the National Roads and Urban Transport Fund (FORTA).
The Local has contacted the Federal Roads Office to find out whether the 21-franc figure is accurate, but we have not received a response yet.
Also not defined at this time is what constitutes a taxable ‘transit’ and tax-free stay,
Blick said that “ travellers who spend the night in Switzerland will be exempt” from the fee.
However, it did point out that “the implementation details of this automatic collection of entry and exit data still need to be finalised, particularly for smaller border crossings.”
Advertisement
What’s next?
Aside from defining and determining all the above points, It is now up to the Transport Minister, Albert Rösti, to develop a bill addressing all these issues.
